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American Morning

Is National Tire Safety Week Something You Should Get Pumped Up About?

Aired April 29, 2002 - 08:58   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Bet you didn't know it, but this week is National Tire Safety Week, and is that something you should really get pumped up about?

Well actually, we should, and Kathleen Koch tells us why.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to auto maintenance, most Americans stop where the rubber meets the road, rarely ever checking their tire's air pressure or tread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Occasionally, probably maybe two or three times a year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know how to check the pressure, but not the treads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't know I was supposed to.

KOCH: A new survey by the Rubber Manufacturers Association of nearly 3,000 drivers found only 11 percent were correctly checking their tire pressure every month. Sixty-six percent didn't even know where to find the proper inflation number. It's a dangerous omission, 650 people die in accidents each year due to tire-related causes.

(on camera): Part of the problem can be finding somewhere to fill your tires. The Transportation Department found that one in seven gas stations doesn't even have an air pump, or if they do, it's broken.

(voice-over): Author and car care expert Mary Jackson volunteered to scrutinize my tires, untouched since November.

MARY JACKSON, AUTHOR, "CAR SMARTS": All you need, really, to make sure you're keeping up with your tire care is a tire gauge and a penny.

KOCH: A careful check finds my new tires are underinflated by four pounds, a small amount that makes a big difference in how much tire surface worn contacts the road.

JACKSON: And when tires are underinflated, or overinflated, or if they're worn, what happens is the contact patch goes from that to this, and you simply cannot grip the road as well. COOPER: We made sure to check the tires when they were cold.

KOCH (on camera): And if it's not cold, what happens?

JACKSON: If it's not cold, what you'll start to get is an inaccurate reading, so you want to check your tires in the morning before they've been driven at all, or if the car's been sitting for at least three to four hours.

KOCH (voice-over): The next step, add just enough air.

(on camera): Now, does it make a difference, a pound or two, if we left it at 32 and it's supposed to be 30?

JACKSON: You want it exactly at what the manufacturer recommends.

KOCH (voice-over): The monthly tread check is easiest of all.

JACKSON: Just take the penny, and put it in the groove, with Lincoln's head down. As you look at it from the side, if you can see the top of Lincoln's head, then you need new tires.

KOCH: The government has proposed requiring systems in cars to automatically check tires, some day taking the pressure off drivers.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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